Newly minted independent MLA Drew Barnes spoke out Thursday night two hours after he and Todd Loewen were expelled from the United Conservative Party Caucus..“I am saddened by today’s events, but not surprised”, wrote Barnes. “Many members of caucus have tried, in vain to help the Premier make better decisions in recent weeks and months. I am also disappointed that the vote was not conducted by secret ballot. Moving forward, I continue to believe Alberta can and should be the most prosperous and free jurisdiction in North America, and I will continue to use my voice to advance this cause..“The United Conservative Party was meant to be a team, but the leader of a team must also respect the rest of the team. I supported unity, and continued to work within the parameters of the caucus to represent my constituents. However, the views of my constituents were ignored, and the man who campaigned on servant leadership no longer exist.”.Barnes, who was first elected as a Wildrose MLA in 2012 also took aim at Kenney’s democratic credentials..“Instead of MLAs representing the views of their constituents to caucus, MLAs are expected to represent the views of the Premier to their constituents. I could never abide by this – this is not why I entered into politics – and this is not how a grassroots political party is meant to work.”.In the first minutes of May 13, Barnes’ colleagues published a scathing letter calling on Kenney to resign. Barnes pointed to it in his own statement.“For me, the question at the core of this letter was simply this: Is this the party of grassroots conservatives or not? Today, that question was answered clearly by the expulsion of myself and Mr. Loewen from caucus.”.“Today, the Premier’s promises of servant leadership, grassroots democracy and political transparency were again abandoned in favor of caucus discipline above all else. However, I am no longer shackled by the chains of caucus discipline, especially when the goals of the Premier do not align with those of my constituents. I will continue to speak as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Cypress-Medicine Hat. I will continue to stand on the principles and beliefs that the United Conservative Party was elected to govern under and has since abandoned.”.The Western Standard has not yet received a statement from Loewen..Barnes has increasingly clashed with Kenney over the last year..Nearly a year ago, Barnes published a dissenting report on the Fair Deal Panel, saying that it does not go far enough and should independence on the table. Barnes was also an outspoken critic of continued lockdowns imposed by the Kenney government..Todd Loewen’s comments earlier in the day triggered a firestorm of political intrigue in the UCP..“The government’s response to a hostile federal government has been perceived as weak and ineffective. Albertans have lost trust in the leadership of our government and are no longer willing to extend to us any benefit of the doubt on most issues,” said Loewen in the letter..“Albertans perceive our government as out-of-touch and arrogant, and they expect our caucus to bring their issues of concern to the government. Many of us have tried to do so repeatedly, only to be ignored and dismissed. When the Premier chooses not to listen to caucus, is it any wonder why the people choose to stop listening to the government? Our supporters and those I represent can no longer tolerate this. These folks have not abandoned the principles and values of the UCP, but they have abandoned you specifically.”.The letter comes as Kenney’s leadership is already on the ropes. More than a dozen UCP constituency associations have already passed special resolutions demanding a leadership review, however Kenney poured cold water on the idea, pushing the vote to just six months before the next election. .Growing caucus tension also bubbled to the surface when 17 UCP MLAs signed an open letter condemning Kenney for putting Alberta back under a third lockdown. Kenney’s dismissal of the letter led to a series of leaks from the UCP caucus, with several MLAs telling the Western Standard the premier threatened them with an early election if they did not have confidence in his leadership..Soon after the rogue rodeo in Bowden, Alta. to protest the third lockdown, UCP MLAs told the Western Standard Kenney said in reference to the attendees, ““If they are our base, I want a new base.”.Kenney denied the story as “fake news” and said that the comments were only referring to people making death threats against him, but UCP MLAs told the Western Standard Kenney was “lying.”
